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Death's Door
"This is Death's Door, where the dead tunnel to their final progress." "A stoker sings: "The wind doth blow today, my love, and a few small drops of rain. I never had but one true love, and in cold grave she was lain."" Death's Door is where the valid dead of the Blue Kingdom go once they're ready to pass on. Located NORTH of the Blue Kingdom, the Door is the last barrier between mortals and the Sapphir'd King. The port has few living residents, though it is full of waiting spirits who have taken up residence on the nearby premises. Death's Doorstep "An austere, ugly little town has sprung up around the station, built and inhabited by spirits too afraid to pass beyond the Door." Death's Doorstep is a nameless city that officially doesn't exist. It is primarily inhabited by spirits who were "too cowardly" to pass on beyond the Door. Skyfarers may also encounter a few Antedeceased individuals, who visit to conduct business. The Endless Furrows "An endless expanse of churned black mud." Near the Doorstep lies the Endless Furrows. Once, it was known as the Seven Concentric Gardens, home to many forms of rich flora, but now it only consists of, well, mud. Despite the apparent infertility of the Furrows, several Yoked spirits are still trying to cultivate new life here. Within the endless expanses of mud lies a door that leads to a spirit's death. Each spirit has their own door, and to find their door, one must dig, and dig, and dig... At least a portion of the Furrows' mud is actually composed of spirits who were punished by the Arbiter of Fates. The Catafalque "Below the mud, you find yourself in the Catafalque: a candle-decked labyrinth, filled with endless lines of shuffling, silent dead. Death's Door waits at the other end of the tunnels." The Catafalque is a massive labyrinth located under the Endless Furrows that leads to Death's Door proper. The labyrinth is patrolled by numerous Logoi, who occasionally administer tests of soul quality to the queued spirits. Notably, those who possess the Lightless soul flaw are not permitted to pass. In order to progress deeper into the Catafalque, a spirit must pass the Test of Substance. Passing this test leaves a spirit faceless. Following this, a spirit must then pass the Test of Definition, which leaves a spirit nameless. Then, finally, a spirit may pass Death's Door. No one who passes the Door returns, for obvious reasons. Beyond Death's Door "Ponderously vast, the golden Door opens. A cold, surgical light spills out. The daily tithe of spirits go rushing in." "The Blue Kingdom unfolds before you. Vast wheels turn, words dance on the wind. A landscape halfway between baffling machine and indecipherable pattern." What lies Beyond Death's Door? The true heart of the Blue Kingdom. It is where the blessed spirits go to receive their eternal reward. It is where the Logoi patrol with unparalleled fervor. It is where you can finally, finally see the Sapphir'd King in his full, unfiltered glory. His light will subsume you, and you, a mortal staring in the face of oblivion, subjugation, or consumption, will be judged by his immortal proclamations. What lies Beyond Death's Door? A machine of near-infinite complexity, consisting of gears, wheels, and rivers the likes of which no human has ever seen. Spirits are skewered on beams of light. They are dismantled, slowly and meticulously, and are fed to the inner workings. They squirm and and writhe and twitch, and the ever-vigilant Logoi ensure no intruder learns the secrets of Death. What lies further within? Only the maw of a gaping star, each soul only feeding a minuscule fraction of its eternal hunger. Category:Places Category:The Blue Kingdom Category:The High Wilderness Category:Formatted